Family Values... or How to Survive Summer Vacation

My daughters have been out of school for almost a week. Before their school year officially ended, I had grand visions of us spending quality time together, doing crafts, local outings, spending time at the beach, or even just relaxing at the pool Boy, was I wrong! Within two days, I had become reduced to a quivering, sniffling ball of nerves, having spent those two very rainy days trapped in the house.

The 21st Street beach in Ship Bottom, NJ

Needless to say, those two days had a bit of a traumatic effect on all three of us. My husband was working and managed to avoid the majority of the conflicts. The girls and I worked through the issues and we are all back on track. I can't wait for camp to start! My youngest will be attending four weeks of Girl Scout camp and one sports camp offered by my school district. She is my one child who needs to constantly be doing something, ANYTHING! If she isn't, she will be following me around asking "What can I do? Where can I go? Can I have a friend over? Can I visit a friend? Can I, Can I, Can I...." Yes, she really does this. What can I say? She's nine.

The eldest will attend one week of Girl Scout camp and two weeks of sports camp (volleyball and basketball) offered by the Middle School. Since she chose to attend only three weeks of camp, I was wracking my brains coming up with things for her to do during the summer. I didn't want her to sit inside all summer long, reading and playing on the computer...because she totally would! My mother came up with a great idea - to have my eldest daughter work for her several days a week throughout the summer. Sheer brilliance! Of course, my older daughter is at the age where it's ALL about the money. Part of her "deal" with my mom:

It's a very sweet deal. Plus, she gets to spend lots of time with my Mom, who really enjoys her company. Quality time with Grammy.

I remember when I was her age (a loooooong time ago!), I was making great money babysitting for several families. By the time I was 14, I was working as a junior counselor at a local summer camp, getting completely taken advantage of and being grossly underpaid. Boy, that was a tough lesson to learn.